Rose Curculio

Rose Curculio Merhynchites bicolor (Fabricious) Coleoptera: Atellabidae, is a single generation Weevil that feeds on buds and petals of roses. The species name “bicolor” refers to the bright red elytra and thorax with the black head with a long snout. See photo.

Wild roses are the main host for these native Weevils. They are attracted to pink and yellow roses with hips in the garden. Their feeding resembles that of earwigs, holes in buds and sometimes young shoots. Eggs are laid in bites made by the female and the larvae over winter in the rose hips, pupate, with the adults emerging the following spring to mate (see photo) and begin a new cycle.